A breakthrough in the world of technology with numerous inventions, Apple has marked countless milestones since its inception. While the company's innovations are nothing short of amazing, this highly acclaimed giant has invested heavily in its marketing team to soar high as a technology giant. From the very beginning, Apple recognized the role that brand marketing plays in the success of its venture as a key way to connect with its target audience. The brand's marketing is so vigorously executed and well-thought-out that it often serves as a source of inspiration and study for marketing professionals. Here, we present a curated case study of Apple's marketing strategy, key takeaways from this venture, and how you can incorporate it into your business and marketing strategy.
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Apple's target audience
To understand the key strategies in marketing Apple products, let us first understand who Apple's target audience is. Apple's target audience is middle and upper class users who are willing to pay a high price for a product that offers a great user experience. This means that these users have a high disposable income and are ready to pay a high price for an expensive product like Apple.
Let’s take a look at Apple’s target demographic with a comprehensive analysis taken from Business Research Methodology’s report on Apple segmentation.
detail |
Apple's target audience |
|
area |
Urban |
|
sex |
all |
|
Year |
20-45 |
|
Stages of life |
From single to married |
|
Revenue |
expensive |
|
Jobs |
Working professionals, managers and executives |
Besides this main classification, Apple also explicitly targets professionals working with specialized software such as music, video, photography, and all kinds of design jobs. These professionals prefer Adobe's Final Cut, Photoshop, and related editing software, which run well on Macbooks and iPads, over other operating systems.
Even better, business professionals prefer Apple products like iPods and Macbooks for their daily work.Products like iPads and Macbooks are lightweight and easy to carry, hence they are often the choice of students (upper class), educational institutions, and teachers.
Apple's Marketing Strategy
Now, talking about Apple’s marketing strategy, it is a combination of well-designed products with the right user experience, promotional campaigns, distribution, and pricing. Let us take a closer look at all these features of Apple’s marketing strategy.
Focus on better user experience
Apple's brand strategy is based on stylish, simpler, and luxurious products, with a focus on providing a user interface that is easy to use and learn. These products are also lightweight, portable, and durable. This minimalist look and user experience is a perfect selling point for the middle to upper class target audience.
A sophisticated yet simple ad
Storytelling is a key element of all Apple advertising and marketing campaigns. These ads often focus on minimalist design and high-quality imagery, paired with music and simple stories. In their advertising and marketing, Apple is conscious of not using a lot of jargon or extra words in their ads. Instead, they focus on the product and let it speak for itself, without mentioning how much it costs or using complicated words about its features.
Target the right market
Apple taps into their target audience like a true tech witch who knows their aspirations, preferences and pain points.The company's market research is always spot on and clear in its products, curation and features.
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Five key lessons learned from Apple's marketing strategy
Here are some key takeaways from Apple’s marketing strategy:
- Leveraging your target market and audience is key to curating and selling a user experience that values people’s preferences.
- The right product with simple yet sleek design, minimalist design and functionality can create the perfect impact for your brand.
- Incorporating emotion into your advertising and marketing can also help you connect better with your audience.
- Don’t overdo it with the copy or conceptualization of your advertising or marketing campaigns, preferring a “less is more” approach. Create short yet emotive and resonant ads to captivate your target audience.
- When you create international brand value through quality and minimalist, sophisticated design, you no longer need to compete on price – instead, you can differentiate your user experience and design features through price.
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